


Overcoming a Reputation

by DramaticGarbage



Series: Overcoming a Legacy [4]
Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Brain & Brawn, Logan has two hands, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-14
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-13 06:46:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18463646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DramaticGarbage/pseuds/DramaticGarbage
Summary: Last but not least, the twins





	Overcoming a Reputation

The twins had been lumped together from a very young age. They were used to always being together, they were used to being treated as one singular entity... But the thing was, they weren’t. It wasn’t that anyone was mean to them, it was just very common that if someone found something out about one of them, it was applied to them both.

* * *

 

Mom found out that Rufus likes orange soda, they both were served orange soda with dinner. Russell likes broccoli as a side dish? They both get healthy portions of broccoli. It wasn’t a big deal, nothing worth mentioning in their opinion... But it was definitely an odd thing. 

They’d been told that as kids they used to fight over their possessions, as if they were stealing each other’s toys or clothes... So they just started always having the same, so it would be fair. Same with the food. Same things, same amounts. It made sense for children, sure. But that had just never changed. Even into high school they were bought the same clothes. ...Again, nothing worth mentioning. And they didn’t mind it at all. It was just a bit of an odd choice. But seeing as they really didn’t care enough to go buy more clothes or to mention it and try to change things up, they just went with it. 

The two of them had friends, of course. Friends from school and from their sports teams... But they were always ‘the twins.’ The pair, the set. Never Rufus and Russell, very rarely Ruff and Russ. They weren’t even confident their friends could tell them apart, if they were being honest. Like with everything else though, it didn’t necessarily bother them, not enough to make a fuss. It was still just odd. Well, it had been at first, they had gotten used to it. 

It was due to this that they were so close to each other. They knew each other like no one else did, or probably ever could, really. It was like having a built in best friend since they were old enough to get along. They had each other’s backs, they barely needed to speak to communicate anymore. It was one of the reasons they worked so well in sports together, they were just in sync. 

This did give them a bit of a reputation. They were big, they were strong, they were the same. They were quiet, and they got the feeling that many people didn’t think they were very smart. School wasn’t really their strong suit, but they weren’t stupid. Seeing as they played so many varsity sports in school, their teachers usually gave them a pass on things they didn’t do well with. It was fine, but it really meant they never got help with things they didn’t understand. They passed math with nearly no understanding of it, and english was hardly better. But they got college scholarships anyway, neither of them having really planned to go, but they had their pick of the schools seeing as all the football teams wanted the two of them. 

So off they went, focusing mostly on sports, taking very few classes because they really had no idea what they should be doing. Since they were assured free school as long as they played, it wasn’t a problem for them to take as long as they wanted, and the money that their parents had set aside for them to go to college was now designated for rent, bills, and food while they were in school. 

It was a confusing place to be in. They were in college and honestly had no plan, their general education classes were hard for them, and they had basically no preparation for suddenly being on their own. But they were quiet, they were intimidating. They looked like they were doing what they were supposed to be. So no one ever checked in, or helped them find resources. When really, they were just winging it, scraping by in one or two classes a semester. 

They’d been in college for two full years and had only just completed the credits to be considered sophomores, only about a quarter of the way toward a degree, if they ever were going to make it that far. That fifth semester they finally enrolled in a math class, the lowest one they could that would still count for something. 

It was a struggle, they started spending time in the library or cafeteria at school, pouring over their text book and their notes. It just didn’t make sense no matter what they tried. It was in the library one day a few weeks into the semester that found them sitting at a table, still trying to make sense of it all, when they heard a voice. 

“...Rufus and Russell?” 

They looked up in unison, seeing a familiar young man looking back at them, an eyebrow arched over his glasses. 

“Oh, hey Logan.” Rufus spoke up, recognizing their brother’s friend of so many years. 

“Hello there. I was unaware that you both went to this university as well.” Logan responded. 

“Yeah. We came here for football.” Russell added.

“Ah, I see. That makes sense.” Logan nodded, as if he were cataloging the information. He glanced at their table, seeing notes, loose pages, worksheets, study guides, and the text book all open before them. “What are you two working on?” 

They spoke up in unison. “Math.” 

“...Not to be discourteous, but judging by the pandemonium before you, would it be correct to presume you could use some succor?” 

Logan was met with identical blinks of confusion, so he tried again. “...Would you like some help? You look to be struggling.” 

They glanced at each other and then back to Logan. “...Please.” 

It was from that point forward that Logan became something of their unofficial tutor. With someone actually taking time to help them, figuring out what it was they were struggling with, they finally began to understand. Logan, like everyone else, had had no idea how much trouble they were having with their school work. They spent at least an afternoon or evening a week together, Logan making sure they were understanding all they had gone over in their classes. It had become clear to him that the twins weren’t unintelligent, they just had never had anyone reach out to try and help them. He’d been baffled to discover that they were barely ahead of him in credits, and that neither of them had any real expectation of actually obtaining a degree. But Logan wasn’t going to give up on them.

The following semester continued on in this way, with the older boys actually taking more than just one class, feeling much more confident in things that weren’t math. Logan still ensured that they were doing well, them meeting up for lunch or at the end of school days to make sure they had assistance if needed. It became more casual over time, the three of them having lunch together or working on assignments in comfortable silence unless they had a question for him. They had just found that they enjoyed the company. 

It had been at the beginning of the new semester, the two of them having thanked him immensely for helping them get through the previous one, that Logan found them in the cafeteria, both diligently writing in notebooks. He had definitely never seen them so sure and confident about what they were doing, so he just chose to quietly sit down at their table and watch for a moment. They both looked up and greeted him silently before going to their notes again, looking over all they had done. 

“What are you two working on? It’s early in the semester for you to have so much to work on, isn’t it?” Logan asked. 

Amused expressions crossed their faces. 

“Oh, it’s not school work.” Russell shook his head.

“We’re taking more than one class this semester, so we have to change up our work out schedule.” Rufus explained, turning around the notebook to show Logan what he’d been writing. 

“And with the times we’ll be working out and attending class, we also have to change up our meal plan.” Russell added, showing his to Logan as well. 

Logan’s eyes moved across the two books, taking in what it was they were showing him and very surprised at all of the detail and specifics that had been written there.

“You two plan these out together?” He raised an eyebrow. 

“Oh, no. He’s always done our diet. I don’t bother with all the calorie counting and the protein nonsense.” Rufus shook his head, smirking at his twin. 

Russell sighed. “And I’m not going to put effort into planning ahead for how many times I have to pick things up and put them back down.” He shot his brother a look. 

Logan tilted his head to the side, slowly reaching out to take the notebooks and look over them more closely. After a few moments he picked them up and held them toward them again, putting his finger to his chin once they’d taken them back. “...Would those plans work for me?” 

They both looked over him a moment, Logan watching as their eyes traveled over all of his physique that they could see. 

“...No. You wouldn’t need nearly as much protein as we do, you’d probably need something more balanced. Less focus on one food group and a more even spread across the board.” Russell explained.

“And you haven’t been exercising like we have either, you’d need to start on something much lower intensity. Cardio, stretches... Could probably find out without too much difficulty what weight you’d want to start on if you wanted to get into lifting and actually build muscle.” Rufus added. 

“...Have either of you declared a major yet?” Logan asked, seeming like he had just solved some sort of mystery. They both shook their heads, unsure where the question had come from. Logan just smiled. “I’m going to look up the course plan for the Nutrition and the Kinesiology programs to show you. I think we may be onto something.” 

Logan was overjoyed that he had been able to assist them in finding programs they were interested in. Maybe moreso than he should have been. But that wasn’t anything. He... Just found them very interesting. It wasn’t like he’d every truly paid too much attention to them in the years he’d known Roman, he had always been Roman’s friend, so he had had no reason to try and get to know his older brothers. But now that they were around him a lot of the time, Logan realized there was much more to them than first met the eye. He’d remembered Roman or Ronnie making jokes over the years about how they were impossible to tell apart. But that simply wasn’t true. It had taken him a little bit of time, but now it was like he couldn’t understand how he didn’t see it before. 

They also had little quirks that were... Endearing. They both had a definite sweet tooth, and as much as they were assumed to be the same, when it came to their favorite treats it was clear they didn’t agree on anything. It was always silent, they already knew their system. But to Logan, it was fascinating to see how they worked. Ice cream? Russell liked vanilla, Rufus liked chocolate. Candy bar? Russell went for milk chocolate, sometimes with peanut butter. Rufus would get dark chocolate, often with actual peanuts. But it was them with fruit candy that made Logan actually smile. 

The first time he walked up to the table and they had gotten a couple packs of gummy bears, they were silently separating the flavors out. When they were done, Rufus had his pile of red and orange, Russell had the green and clear, and the yellow was left unclaimed on a napkin. It was such an amusing little quirk to him. They did it with Skittles, Starbursts... Any fruit flavored candy he’d ever seen them eat would be sorted casually before they ate them. He watched the lemon candy always end up in the trash until one day when he reached out and took the pile of discarded ones for himself, snacking on them as he worked. And from that day forward, they always silently slid them over to him when they’d finished their sorting. 

It was nice. Him fitting in with them and them all working so well together was something that no one would have ever expected. It was quickly becoming the highlight of Logan’s days. ...Was that going to be a problem? 

It was similar on Rufus and Russell’s end. It was a bit.. Strange. The way that they felt around Logan. They’d definitely shared several telling glances over his head or when he wasn’t looking, trying to ensure that they were on the same page. The two of them already had a bit of a strange relationship with each other, being much closer than some people felt siblings should be. Potentially having a thing for the same person... That was a new level wasn’t it? Besides, Ronnie had shown them all those terms and pamphlets all those years ago... They had both kind of settled on the AroAce thing. It made sense for them. But now...

This lead to a handful of slightly strange moments between all of them, awkward moments lasting a bit too long. One day after they had gone home to their apartment for the night, Russell tossed his phone over to Rufus, him catching it and reading the page his brother had had open. An article titled “Demiromanticism.” ...Oh. 

It was something all three of them seemed to be mulling over, until one day one of them just couldn’t take it. They were working together, they were sharing candy, they were so comfortable and good and..

“Do you think it would be weird if we were like... A thing?” Russell finally cracked, surprising even Rufus, and Logan looking up to see the two of them. 

“...I suppose it depends on who’s opinion you are giving merit to.” Logan answered, seeming a bit surprised. 

“Meathead talk, Lo.” Rufus smiled, looking back at him.

Logan gave them a sheepish smile. “...Some would probably think so. But.. That only matters if you care what they think.” 

“...I don’t. I care what you think.” Russell responded, a bit more softly after his slight outburst. 

“I.. I do believe it would be a situation that would need to be... Tested. To see.. If it worked for everyone involved.” Logan was blushing a bit now, looking over the two of them.

“That’s fair... But I would be up to try.” Rufus added. 

“Yeah.. Me too.” Russell nodded. 

“I.. Would also like that. Very much. I... I do think I should preface though, I’m asexual. Is that going to be alright?” Logan looked the least confident the two of them had ever seen him. But they both just smiled warmly. 

“Of course not, Lo.” “If anything.. That probably makes this easier.” 

The three of them fell into a slightly different routine, but it only changed so much. They spent more time together than they had before, figuring out what worked for them. They hadn’t exactly come up with a name for their relationship, but it was very clear that while Logan was seeing two people, they were each seeing only one. He often ended up in between the two of them, seated at tables or on the couch, or even when walking. They were as close as ever, of course, their dynamic didn’t change between the two of them in the slightest. They were brothers, and best friends... Who had the same taste in intelligent boys, apparently. 

It had been a few weeks, Logan more than content with having a hand for each of them to hold, when they brought up that the final football game of the season was coming up. It was the biggest game they had, against their rival school. He immediately began asking how he could get a seat and when to be there, even if he hadn’t been to a football game before, he was not going to miss a chance to support them. They both smiled, telling him they’d get him one of their allotted tickets and he wouldn’t miss out on having a seat.

The day of the game, Logan made his way into the stadium, holding the ticket his boys had given him and making his way to the reserved section. He had a seat right on the end of a huge deserted row, with a good view of the field. Logan found this spectacle interesting, not having experienced anything like it before. Just as he was studying the scoreboard, someone called his name from behind him. 

“...Logan?” 

His eyes went wide as he turned to see... Everyone. Rose and Rich were leading the group, behind them were Roman and Virgil, followed by Ray and Patton, and then in the back of the group were Ronnie, Remy, and Reggie. 

“...Hello.” He said, trying not to let his voice waver. 

“...What are you doing here?” Roman piped up, looking over him a bit suspiciously. 

“I am here to watch the football game.” He deadpanned, looking back at his long time friend, who scowled in response. 

“Clearly. I meant in the reserved section... Really, here at all. Do you even like football?” Roman inquired, still looking over him. 

“I have taken a recent interest. And I thought it only right to come and support Rufus and Russell.” He shrugged, looking back to the field. 

“Wh-“ Roman began again but was cut off.

“Ro, come on. Let’s all sit down. Everyone file in.” Rich gave his youngest a light shove, ushering the huge group over into the two rows, which Logan was grateful for. He ended up sitting next to Patton, who was giving him a bit of a smiley, knowing look and holding Ray’s hand all the while.

Logan did his best to keep his focus on the field, ignoring the red in his cheeks that had been forming under his friend’s gaze. 

Roman was quietly mumbling to Virgil, not that anyone could hear him over the din in the stadium, that he didn’t know how to handle another one of his friends having gone for one of his brothers, even if he couldn’t quite believe it.

Thankfully, the game began soon enough, most of the group stealing glances at Logan who definitely seemed more invested than any of them expected. Him cheering, yelling, and sitting on the edge of his seat when appropriate. The game was definitely an exciting one, their team eventually pulling out an impressive victory and the crowd going wild. 

Logan had hoped he might be able to pull off a quick escape into the crowd, but of course Rose had turned her gaze on him. 

“Logan! We’re all going out to dinner to celebrate the twins! I’m sure they’d want you to come along!” She smiled, looking over him. 

“...Thank you, Mrs. Prince. I.. Will gladly accompany you all.” He said, nodding back to her. Welp. There goes that. 

They all made their way down to the exit, waiting for Rufus and Russell to appear, them coming through after they’d been able to get showered and dressed. Much to Logan’s joy and embarrassment, they spotted him before they noticed the huge group along with him, and greeted him with excitement before they realized they had an audience. Rufus was a bit more understated with his affection, as Logan had quickly learned, smiling and giving him a hug with a soft kiss to the temple. Russell was much more overt, pulling Logan into his arms and giving him a hug with a quick twirl before putting him back down.

Logan was bright red once he’d been placed back on his feet, the boys only then realizing that their family was standing just a few feet away. Roman definitely seemed playfully exasperated, but the majority of the group was just surprised. The twins didn’t really acknowledge it, just nodding to their parents and then following along to the car on either side of Logan. 

The surprises really didn’t seem to have an end in sight, every new little thing being completely unexpected by everyone in attendance. They’d gone to a nicer buffet style restaurant, everyone handed their plate and cup as they walked inside. Logan had handed his plate to Russell before taking all three of the cups and heading off to get their beverages instead. They all sat down at the table and the twins had left a space between them for Logan, who handed them their drinks as he joined them. Even Rose was surprised to see that only one of her sons was brought back the orange soda she knew to be their favorite, the bespectacled young man handing the other an iced tea. 

They both seemed happy, picking up their drinks and getting sips before digging into their meals. No one was really sure what the exact situation was there... But they seemed happy? Logan ate the plate that Russell had put together for him, eating slowly as the two larger boys got up multiple times for more. Logan finished eating and had gone off to investigate the desserts, coming back with three bowls, one full of gummy bears. While everyone else continued to eat, he began the process of separating the colors, confusing everyone around them. By the time the twins had finished eating, he had finished. Them both smiling as he pushed their bowls in front of them and then began to eat the lemon ones. 

No one else was sure they’d ever really understand the dynamic of this interesting trio, but that evening found the three of them sitting on the couch together, Logan between them and sitting sideways across the couch with his upper body leaned against Russell and his legs resting across Rufus’s lap, both of them comfortably resting their arms on him. They really didn’t care if anyone else understood or what everyone else thought. They were happy. And that was what mattered. 


End file.
